Day 102

[firstly, an advance warning: at any point over the next four weeks, Project 20:15 may be put on hold so I can concentrate on my university assignments. I'm sure you'll all understand.]

[from Vanishing Point]

A short time later, Shinsuke's employees had all exited the building and were patiently gathered in their designated places in the parking lot. While the alarm had already shut off, the all-clear had still not been given, so all they could do for now was stand and wait, some of them still visibly tired from having to travel down numerous flights of stairs. Rika was particularly exhausted, and in some discomfort, but Satoru, standing next to her in front of his assembled workforce, did not look the slightest bit fatigued.

"Every employee is accounted for, sir," said Rika. "Also… may I take these heels off? My feet are killing me." She lifted her right foot and gently rubbed it, wincing.

Satoru looked over at her and nodded. "Go ahead," he said. "Sit down if you need to."

With a sigh of relief, Rika sank into a half-sitting, half-crouching position. She kicked off her heels, and started to gently massage her stocking-clad feet while resting her clipboard against her raised knees.

"Is there anything else?" asked Satoru. "Anything unusual?"

"A couple of things," said Rika, looking down at her clipboard. "One of our employees seems to have misplaced their ID card, presumably in the rush to get out. Security also tells me that one of our elevators is currently stationed at the top floor, and apparently travelled the last thirty-two floors with nobody inside. We don't know where the fire alarm came from, but we think-"

A look of comprehension dawned on Satoru's face, as he began to mentally connect the dots. "Wait a second," he said. "Repeat that last part."

"We don't know where the fire alarm came fro-"

"No, before that!" said Satoru, becoming suddenly agitated. "The part about the elevator!"

"Oh… one of the elevators is currently stationed at the top floor, and it apparently travelled the last thirty-two floors with nobody inside."

Satoru's eyes widened as he put two and two together. "It's Subject 14!" he exclaimed. "She's broken in!"

Rika looked quite understandably confused. "Mr. Oeyama, what's-"

Satoru cut her off, motioning to his security guards. "Security, with me!" he barked. "I want her found!" Turning on his heel, Satoru marched back into the building, followed by several dozen security personnel. Rika watched them go, her hands still resting on her feet, looking tired and thoroughly baffled.

***

Kiyoko, oblivious to the impending danger, was continuing to copy the files over to the flash drive. Cobra, meanwhile, was taking advantage of the sudden radio silence to try and make herself a cup of tea. Given her amnesia, this seemingly simple task was actually more difficult than it sounded; while she could remember having a fondness for the drink, she couldn't remember exactly how she used to prepare it, or which brand she preferred. The only solution was to make cup after cup of tea until she found the right formula, and as Hanako entered the kitchen behind her, she was currently pouring her fifth cup.

"Any luck?" asked Hanako suddenly. Cobra, who hadn't noticed the girl enter, suddenly jumped, spilling tea across the worktop and almost scalding her right hand. She instantly slammed the teapot down and span round to glare at Hanako.

"For God's sake, don't do that!" she barked. "I could have scalded myself!"

Hanako withered beneath Cobra's fearsome gaze, and began to rush out a panicked apology at breakneck speed. "I'msorryIjustwantedtofindouthowyourteaexperimentwasgoingandIdidn'tknowyoudidn'tknowIwashereandIthoughtyouwouldn'tmindifIcameandsaidhelloand-" Finally running out of breath, she inhaled sharply before dropping into a rigid bow. "I'm sorry!"

"Be more careful next time," chided Cobra. Turning her attention back to the cup of tea in her hand, she poured a splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar into the cup and mixing it thoroughly, before depositing the teaspoon into the sink, where it joined several others. Lifting the cup to her lips, she took a small sip, then frowned.

"Still not right," she remarked. "Dammit." She poured the cup down the sink, depositing the empty cup alongside the others, then turned her attention to the mess on the worktop. "I suppose I'll have to clear up all this mess now, as well."

"I'll do it!" said Hanako. "I mean, it was basically my fault, so…"

Cobra nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright then," she said. "Grab a wet tea-towel and clear all this up."

Hanako grabbed an old tea-towel from the side and ran it under the tap briefly. "How do you think Kiyoko's doing?" she asked, as she started to mop up the desktop.

Cobra glanced over at her headset, which was lying on the side. "She's downloading the data as we speak," she said. "She should be fine from here on in."

***

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the files had finished copying. Kiyoko pulled the flash drive out of the computer and slipped it into her pocket as she got up from the computer chair. "Okay. I've got the data," she said.

There was a soft rustling sound as Cobra put her headset back on. "Good," she said. "Nice work, Kiyoko. Now get out of there, as quickly as possible. Remember, you'll have to take the fire escape: the elevator will be too risky."

Kiyoko closed the various windows and dialogue boxes that were open on Satoru's computer, then headed back out of his office into the still-deserted corridor. After looking around for a few moments, she found the entrance to the fire escape and quickly opened the door. She found herself confronted with a long, wide staircase that spiralled down through the whole building. Kiyoko looked down over the concrete railings and swallowed nervously. "So many steps…"

"I know, but there's no alternative, I'm afraid," said Cobra. "There shouldn't be any security, though, so you can take it easy until you get to the bottom."

After glancing around to make sure the area was devoid of security cameras, Kiyoko slowly faded back into view, a nervous expression on her face. Being invisible for so long would probably put a strain on her, and it was a long walk back down; she didn't want to tire herself out any more than she had to. With this in mind, she began the long descent back down the fire escape.

***

Unbeknownst to Kiyoko and Cobra, the Shinsuke security guards were already gathering at the bottom of the fire escape, ready to intercept her. Just as at the research facility, all of them were armed and very dangerous.

"We're going to comb the entire building," said Satoru. "Each of you take a separate floor. Leave no stone unturned. If you so much as hear something breathing, you have my permission to shoot."

The guards nodded, and together they began to ascend the staircase. With the elevators still disabled, this was the intruder's only means of escape. As far as Satoru was concerned, there was no way out for Kiyoko, invisibility or no invisibility.

***

By the time Kiyoko reached the 38th floor, she was already exhausted. One hand clutched at a stitch in her chest, while the other one clutched onto the handrail as she breathed heavily. As she reached yet another flight of steps, she collapsed into a sitting position on the top step, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to recover her breath. "I can't… do this…" she gasped.

"Don't panic," said Cobra in her ear, trying to reassure her. "Take it easy. There shouldn't be anyone else in the fire escape, so you can relax. You're pretty much home and dry."

No sooner had Cobra said this than Hanako was startled by the faint sound of footsteps echoing up from below. Peering over the handrail in horror, Kiyoko saw the contingent of guards, still some two dozen strong, heading up the steps only one or two floors beneath her. Kiyoko turned visible again, starting to panic. "Th-the guards!" she whispered, the fear evident in her quiet voice. "Th-they're here! In the fire escape! Hundreds of them! Th-they're coming for me!"

"Damn it!" swore Cobra. "Somebody must have… quick! Hide on the nearest floor!"

Climbing to her feet, Kiyoko sprinted for the door leading to the 38th floor and dived through it. As the guards approached the landing, one of them noticed the door just swinging to a close and quickly raised a hand. "I'll take this floor," he said.

"Alright," said another guard. The first guard stepped out of the pack and headed through the door into the 38th floor corridor, while his squadmates continued on up to the next door. This guard who had volunteered was slightly effeminate in appearance, with golden-blond hair that covered his right eye, and ear piercings. Hearing Kiyoko's panicked footsteps in the distance, he turned and quickly hurried after her.

With the realization that she had been spotted and was being pursued, Kiyoko became absolutely terrified. Turning a corner, she dived through the nearest door. The effeminate guard did not turn the corner in time to see this, but had heard the door slam and guessed where she might have gone. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly began to approach the door.

On the other side of the door was a small broom cupboard, filled with cleaning supplies. Kiyoko's panicked breathing, bordering on hyperventilation, could just he heard coming from within before she clapped a hand over her own mouth, muffling it. As the man stepped closer, he could instead hear her racing heart beating loudly in her chest.

Reaching out a hand, the guard slowly turned the handle and pulled open the door. He found himself confronted with a seemingly ordinary broom cupboard, completely devoid of people, although he knew that it was not necessarily that straightforward. As he began to step inside, investigating further, Kiyoko's heartbeat grew even louder and quicker, her expression one of abject terror in spite of her own invisibility.

As the man took another step forward, Kiyoko instinctively began to shrink back against the wall of the broom cupboard. As she did so, her foot accidentally kicked a bucket, upsetting it and knocking over the mop that had been inside, sending it clattering hard to the floor. The noise seemed to fill the entire room, deafening her. If that had not given her away, her instinctive gasp of horror upon realizing the situation definitely had. The effeminate guard gasped in response, his reaction merely confirming what she already knew. She had been rumbled. It was over. There was nothing more she could do except stand there, trembling from head to foot, sweat pouring down her face and tears of regret welling up in her eyes as she waited to accept her inevitable fate…